Federal officers from Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) have begun sweeping the streets of Charlotte, North Carolina.
Arrests are underway in the immigration crackdown, the latest in a series targeting large, Democrat-run cities, which has sparked protests and pushback from citizens and local officials.
Willy Aceituno, 46, told The Associated Press he saw “a lot of Latinos running” that were being pursued by “a lot of Border Patrol agents.” Footage taken by the 46-year-old Honduran-born U.S. citizen shows him being stopped by agents who forced him from his vehicle after smashing the window.
Newsweek contacted ICE and CBP for comment on Sunday outside of regular working hours. Newsweek has also reached out to the Charlotte mayor’s office for comment.
Why It Matters
Charlotte, which houses a significant foreign-born population, is the latest Democrat-run city to be targeted by President Donald Trump’s federal enforcement operations. The administration has defended its actions in other cities such as Chicago and Los Angeles, where the National Guard has been deployed, as necessary to clamp down on crime and enforce immigration laws, but these have faced similar protests and criticism from local officials.
What To Know
Reports of the operation emerged early this week, and on Saturday the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed it would be “surging resources” for enforcement actions in Charlotte. Dubbed “Operation Charlotte’s Web,” DHS said this will target “criminal illegal aliens who flocked to the Tar Heel State because they knew sanctuary politicians would protect them.” The department said Charlotte had failed to honor nearly 1,400 ICE detainers, requests to hold a person in custody following their criminal release for immigration enforcement purposes.
“Americans should be able to live without fear of violent criminal illegal aliens hurting them, their families, or their neighbors,” DHS Assistant Secretary Tricia McLaughlin said. “We are surging DHS law enforcement to Charlotte to ensure Americans are safe and public safety threats are removed. There have been too many victims of criminal illegal aliens. President Trump and Secretary [Kristi] Noem will step up to protect Americans when sanctuary politicians won’t.”
Local officials including Democrat Mayor Vi Lyles have criticized this operation. In a joint statement with the chairs of Mecklenburg County’s Board of Commissioners and Board of Education, Lyles said the actions of ICE and CBP were “causing unnecessary fear and uncertainty.”
The statement also urged citizens to contact the police if they feel unsafe, and emphasized that the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department is “not involved in the planning or execution of any federal immigration enforcement activities.”
Hundreds gathered on Saturday to protest the operation, with footage showing a large crowd of community members at First Ward Park in Uptown Charlotte chanting, “No hate. No fear. Immigrants are welcome here.”
Some businesses have shuttered out of concern over Operation Charlotte’s Web, according to CNN, and reports have emerged of agents detaining U.S. citizens amid the crackdown. The Charlotte Observer, citing witnesses who requested anonymity, reported that masked agents stormed a church on Saturday, detaining one individual while others fled into the nearby woods.
What People Are Saying
Charlotte Mayor Vi Lyles, in a statement released Saturday, said: “We know many of you want to speak out and make your voices heard—and that’s your right. We as that, as a community, we do so peacefully. We do not want to see violence like many witnessed in other cities. We can stand up for what we believe in without resorting to violence.”
Charlotte resident Willy Aceituno, who was detained by border patrol agents and later released after proving his citizenship, told The Associated Press: “I told them, ‘I’m an American citizen.’ They wanted to know where I was born, or they didn’t believe I was an American citizen.”
North Carolina Governor Josh Stein, in a statement released Friday, said: “Public safety is the top priority for all of us in government—and that means fighting crime, not stoking fear or causing division. We should all focus on arresting violent criminals and drug traffickers. Unfortunately, that’s not always what we have seen with ICE and Border Patrol Agents in Chicago and elsewhere around the country. The vast majority of people they have detained have no criminal convictions, and some are American citizens.”
What Happens Next
DHS has not confirmed how long the operation will continue. Similar actions in Los Angeles lasted for a number of days, while the deployment of federal forces in and around Chicago which began in September is ongoing.